Intensity of harvest in tea can be defined in terms of the number of leaves or axillary buds left behind after a shoot is harvested; we describe a simple method for measuring it. Application of the method in trials confirms that yield increases with more intense (harder) harvesting. Differences in intensity of harvest explain much of the variation in yield between different harvesting treatments, including semi-mechanical and mechanical harvesting methods. We recommend that measurements of intensity of harvest should be made routinely in experiments with tea.